Conventional IC devices generally include a semiconductor die having a plurality of bond pads thereon, a leadframe mechanically connected to the die, and bond wires which electrically couple the bond pads of the die with pins on the leadframe. The semiconductor die, bond wires and at least a portion of the leadframe are then surrounded with an encapsulation material, such as plastic, to help ensure the structural rigidity of the IC device.
With the continual push to increase the operating frequency of electronic devices, electrical interconnects, comprising, for example, wire/ribbon bonds, leadframe pins, etc., become a primary bottleneck in the electrical performance of a semiconductor device. This degradation in electrical performance of the device can be attributed, at least in part, to discontinuities and/or parasitic impedances (e.g., inductance) that may be present in the device itself, or in the interconnection of the device with a printed circuit board (PCB) to which the pins of the device are often soldered. For example, the signal path provided by a conventional IC package may have a relatively high inductance associated therewith, which can undesirably affect signal integrity through the IC device. The degradation of signal integrity becomes particularly unacceptable at high operating frequencies (e.g., 10 gigahertz (GHz) and above).
There exists a need, therefore, for improved electrical interconnection techniques which will eliminate or reduce the above-stated problems.